Flights before Thanksgiving cost 43% more this year and it might only get more expensive
- The average round-trip domestic airfare for trips between November 20 and November 24 this year costs $350, according to the Hopper.
- Rising jet fuel prices, fewer scheduled flights, and pent-up travel demand are to blame.
Expect to pay 43% more this year for a round-trip flight during the Thanksgiving season compared to the holiday last year.
The average round-trip domestic airfare for trips between November 20 and November 24 this year cost $350, according to the Hopper travel booking app. That's 43% higher than over the same period in 2021 and 22% more than in 2019.
And if you insist on flying on the Sunday after Thanksgiving you can expect to pay a whopping $528 for your round-trip airfare – a 51% increase.
Rising jet fuel prices, fewer scheduled flights, and pent-up travel demand have all contributed to the higher prices, Hopper said.
Not all travel days during Thanksgiving week are created equal, with the Sunday after the holiday ranking as the busiest passenger day of the year in the US, according to US Transportation Security Administration data. But there are better days to fly if you are willing to break from tradition during the tradition-bound holiday.
Work-from-home travelers who aren't tied to an office can save money on flights during the Thanksgiving holidays and avoid some of the travel chaos by traveling on less popular days.
TSA checkpoint data from daily passenger screenings in the US over the past three years verifies the obvious, according to a NerdWallet analysis.
The least-crowded days to travel over the Thanksgiving holiday:
Pre-holiday
- Saturday before
- Monday before
- Tuesday before
Post-holiday
- Wednesday after
- Black Friday
- Tuesday after
If those getaway days don't work for you, flying on Cyber Monday is 17% cheaper than the Sunday after Thanksgiving, according to Hopper's 2022 Holiday Travel Outlook.
Similarly, the Monday before Thanksgiving is 15% cheaper than Wednesday, according to Expedia data analyzed by NerdWallet. On average, Black Friday fares are $175 less than the weekend days after Thanksgiving, according to Hopper.
Still haven't made travel plans for the Thanksgiving holidays? Prices will only get worse the longer you wait. Hopper expects airline tickets to rise $10 per day starting Nov. 1 with domestic round-trip prices peaking at $550 for last-minute bookings.